Ogle 3D prints Royal Navy remote controlled replicas

Design and prototyping firm, Ogle Models & Prototypes, has successfully completed two accurate replicas of remote controlled boats used by the Royal Navy to detect and detonate underwater mines.

Having recently celebrated 60 years in the industry, the Letchworth based company was commissioned by Atlas Elektronik UK Ltd to recreate the very latest in subsea technology to exhibit the product to potential buyers around the world.

Atlas Elektronik is the leading provider of science and technology solutions to the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy and a host of international defence organisations. This latest product ARCIMS, used for countering the threat from naval mines, detects the presence of mines and is capable of destroying them, removing the need to have personnel in the area.

Tasked with building two accurate scale models of the equipment, one 40cm long and one 1m long, Ogle set out to produce the 3D printed models from CAD files to be presented in exhibitions across the globe.

“We started by using the CAD drawings for the full-sized boat and resizing the drawings to create accurate and detailed plans for the two models,” Marketing and sales manager Dave Bennion explained. “The same processes were used to create both models. The hulls were CNC machined from model board. The cabin sections were created from SLA printed parts.”

Dave continued: “Machined acrylic glazing panels complete with frames made up the windows which were then bonded into place. The main mast, engines and interior details were again formed using SLA.”